Return to the Moon
by Baran3
Summary: Jules Verne books. Sequel to "Return to the Lost Island". Iridia Sunheart find herself once again in a tricky situation. Curiosity kill the cat, but, this time, it sending her...to the Moon.
1. prologue

**RETURN TO THE MOON**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Iridia Sunheart.

Notes: This story is a sequel of "Return to the Lost Island" and another of my Writer's Block. Inspired by Jules Verne, some video games, the series about "Rama", the RPG "Space 1889" and too many books about lost civilizations.

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**Prologue**

My name is Iridia Sunheart. I am the feminine avatar of the author of this text, his anima if you prefer.

I live both in his imagination and in some reality beyond the physical reach of the author.

He created me as an interdimensional trouble-seeker: What he calls a Guardian of the Dimensions.

My role and my duty are to make sure that the infinite of Creation remain in dynamic balance. Generally, I intervened in some dimension where something that shouldn't have happened happen.

In my last adventure, I have rediscovered the "Lost Island" or "Isle Lincoln" which served as the secret base of the late and famous Captain Nemo.

The island is the nexus of too many interdimensional currents to be anchored in any realities. After managing to survive on the isle until I put to rest the ghost of Nemo, I used one of my artefacts to stabilize somewhat the isle by using my own special nature.

But associating a dimensional trouble-seeker like me and a crossroad to too many worlds is a recipe for a disaster…

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Notes: Yeah, I know. I should write about my last stories and definitely not creating another one.

Sigh…

My muse is really too fickle.


	2. Where I found myself searching for clues

**RETURN TO THE MOON**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Iridia Sunheart.

Notes: This chapter is heavily influenced by the works of Jules Verne: "From Earth to the Moon & Around the Moon".

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**Where I found myself searching for clues on an old American club.**

'_What the hell?!'_

It was one of the phrases that I used the most… Especially when I was in difficulty.

And generally, I was in difficulty because of my curiosity. I know, I know… "Curiosity kills the Cat".

It began with a simple note among the papers of the late Captain Nemo. As the current keeper of his prodigious "Nautilus", I took upon myself to restore the mighty submarine in operational status and dust the numerous papers, books and pamphlets of the illustrious man.

The note was very succinct and seemed to be a copy of a telegram. It was from a certain Michel Ardan and was about the fact that the revised "Columbiad" was ready.

The name "Michel Ardan" wasn't unknown to me. He was one of the three main characters of the novel "From Earth to the Moon & Around the Moon" from Jules Verne. I already knew the famous author wrote about real facts disguised as science-fiction in his novels. After all, I was inside the Nautilus.

I decided to learn more about it. Travelling to the moon was an old dream of mine especially after the two comic books from Hergé: "Destination: Moon" and "Explorers on the Moon".

I used the nature of Lincoln Island combined with my own power to teleport myself directly where I should find some answers.

What an idiot…

I should have remembered that my wish could have influenced the transdimensional feature of the island and affected my teleportation. Unknown to me, I found myself in a parallel dimension.

I materialized at Baltimore in the USA, directly in front of an old building that still was the headquarters of the "Gun-Club", the organization which took the bet in the past to build a canon capable to send a projectile on the moon.

I used my sixth sense during the visit to search for clues about a link between the club and the novel of Jules Verne. I found it hidden in an old hat of the era that interested me.

It was some letters from Barbicane, the president of the Gun-club in the past, and the answers from both the captain Nicholl and Michel Ardan. And so, all the so-called imaginary main characters from the novels were found and all of their letters pointed to something built in Florida and still an open secret after all this time.

I smiled when I found those clues, because, it was true: Who would believe that almost everything in a science-fiction novel to be true, especially from an author from the XIX° century?

The only points that were strange were: The confirmed deaths of Barbicane and Nicholl. The first from a bullet in the heart during a non-confirmed duel and the second from suicide by poison. And also the fact that the canon was written "Columbiad" and not "revised Columbiad" like in the note of Michel Ardan to the Captain Nemo.

Using again my link to the Lost Island, I teleported directly in Florida and began to search for the hidden Columbiad using my sensitive mind and a little help from my power as a Guardian of Dimensions. I even cheated a little by summoning to me my precious companion and friend: the monkey I named "Goku" and that has been instrumental in my ordeal on Lincoln Island.

The dear animal was a little altered by both the energies lingering on the Lost Island and by its association to me. It manifested by an elevation of its intellect and its sensitivity, precious advantages in any situation.

With both our sensitivity, we didn't take long to finally find what I supposed at that moment, the end of my investigation: the famous Columbiad at Stone's Hill.

It was a gigantic construction: Picture a vertical cylinder of 270 meters by 18 meters with a galvanized iron sheath. And that was only the main structure of a complex built into the underground of Stone' Hill.

Under a heavy camouflage, I found an entire structure built only for one purpose: To send a projectile on the moon. An underground river has been deviated to give hydraulic power to the structure.

Awed, I found an actual mechanical computer programmed by metallic punch-cards and powered by…water. There was even a gas reserve to aliment the gas lamps of the mighty complex. And everything seemed to just waiting for someone to activate the mechanism.

Since the structure wasn't built to hurt visitors, my sixth sense didn't perceive any danger as a few hydraulic sensors reacted to my weight and reactivate the prodigious machine.

Dormant for more than a century, the machine awakened and followed the will of builders long dead since and a countdown was initialized as mathematic operations were made.

Completely unconscious that I have activated the mechanism, I continued my exploration of the underground complex. Everything was still functioning after I gave a little boost and greased most of the obvious mechanisms using my power.

Curiously, I found almost no trace of people living in the structure for a sufficient time to put a mark. There was no papers, no written instructions, nothing at all about the purpose of the building.

It was Goku who found a concrete trace of presence: The columbiad was ready with an aluminium conical projectile at the bottom of the fire chamber.

With emotion, I entered the first lunar vehicle of History.

The projectile was remarkably well-conceived for its era: It was well padded with leather, cotton and steel spring and an ingenious mechanism based on water assured that the shock of departure didn't killed or wound the passengers.

The dimensions were 12 feet by 6 feet and the base of the projectile was reinforced to support the effect of the propulsive system: An impressive amount of Pyroxyl or Nitro-Cotton, many hundred of tons. There were four circular portholes: Two on the walls, one on the base and one of the nose of the conical cylinder. They were protected by plates that could be ejected by unscrewing bolts from the inside.

Light and heat were assured by a gas reservoir under pressure and were sufficient for a long period of time, more than necessary for travelling to the moon going back. The aluminium composition of the projectile transformed it into a gigantic heat-sink to protect the passengers from their own heat and the water helped to absorb the dangerous radiations in the cosmic void.

Oxygen production and the elimination of the carbon dioxide were assured by chemical means with heating potassium chlorate in a Reiset & Regnaut machine and using the absorbing quality of caustic potash. Gravity was artificially maintained by very slow-burning rockets at the base of the projectile and insured a constant acceleration and thus gravity.

Changing angles was ensured by short-burst rockets activated electrically from the inside. There was even a crude ablative heat-shield based on ceramics and asbestos fibres to protect the projectile from the atmospheric friction at the re-entry.

Emergency systems were assured by Ruhmkorff machines that could produce mechanically electricity and thus light and heat and eliminated the era-batteries which could have too easily leaked acid in the confined interior of the projectile.

But there were also papers. Many and many papers and I smiled as I knew that all the answers were written there and were only waiting for someone to read them.

It was very interesting: I learnt about the truth about the first tentative of sending people outside the atmosphere.

Baltimore, October the five in 1865. Barbicane, president of the Gun-Club proposed an incredible feat worthy of the 19° century: Build a gigantic canon to shot a projectile at an incredibly distant objective.

Michel Ardan, a French adventurer, volunteered to travel in the aluminium projectile conceived by Barbicane.

The Captain Nicholl, a specialist of Armour, was known for his rivalry with the Gunner Barbicane. Nicholl pretended that the project was impossible. Furious, Barbicane challenged him to a duel.

Michel Ardan managed to reconcile the two men. "Since you are ready to risk your lives, come with me. That way, you'll know first hand who was right." It was finally with three passengers that the projectile was loaded into the gigantic canon.

1865, the first December, at 10.46 pm & 40 seconds, the canon was fired and sent the projectile outside the gravity well of the Earth. Destination: Moon! Inside, everybody was out because of the shock of departure.

The president Barbicane and the Captain Nicholl were the first to awaken. With Ardan still unconscious, the two men found that due to damaged mechanisms, there was not enough oxygen for three men. Only one could survive.

At the perilous hour, all the differences of the world couldn't stop two elite men to do their duty. Without hesitation, Barbicane and Nicholl decided to sacrifice themselves so that Michel Ardan could reach the Moon.

Barbicane chose to die by rifle, Nicholl by poison. They wrote letters for their close ones and their friends and drank a last glass of wine. In his one, Nicholl poured cyanide, a fast acting toxic substance. It was acknowledged that Nicholl would shot Barbicane before lying down to wait for the poison's effects.

When he awoke, Ardan thought Barbicane and Nicholl were still unconscious. He quickly found his two friends dead and found their letters explaining their gestures.

And the ordeal of the French adventurer began: He was forced to travel with the two wrapped cadavers, because he couldn't open the portholes without losing all his precious air, a simple tentative proved it. He was also forced to wrap one of the two dogs they brought in the expedition after it died from a nasty wound occasioned by the departure's shock.

Michel was submitted to the twin perils of too much heat from his own heaters and/or from the sun rays and of loosing the heat of the projectile and almost froze to death. Only an almost constant juggling with the heating gaslight enabled him to win with his life.

He also was the first man to experiment with the absence of gravity and was forced to jury-rigged most of the life-support systems to continue to function.

After some time, Ardan saw with horror that an error in the preparations has sent the projectile on a course that would condemned it to turn around the moon for eternity. Using a series of rockets specially made to alter the speed of the projectile, Ardan managed to alter the trajectory: The projectile turned around the moon and went back in the gravity well of the Earth.

Each trajectory took a little more than 97 hours. Eight days and two hours after his departure, the projectile crashed near a certain mysterious island in the South Pacific where he met a certain famous captain.

Finally, I found the answer. I let down a tear in honour to the brave men who managed to accomplish this exploit. But unknown to me, the complex mechanism of the Columbiad continued its countdown.

Suddenly, obeying its program, the main door of the projectile close down and locked itself. I watched, incredulous, and my voice expressed my thoughts.

"What the hell?!"

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Notes: I tried to be as accurate as possible and to use both the works of Jules Verne and the realities of Space Exploration.

Of course, this is a fanfiction and I could have written about rabbits on the moon if I wanted.

Read & review.


	3. Where I found myself again in deep sh…

**RETURN TO THE MOON**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Iridia Sunheart.

Notes: Hum… It's curious… This story is more adventurous and epic than "Return to the Lost Island" and yet, I'm less excited by it… Very curious.

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**Where I found myself again in deep sh…**

"Hurg… My head… What happened?"

I awoke in deep obscurity with a major headache and my body felt as if I had been beaten almost to death by a gang of giants.

I heard something whimpering near me and I searched by touch. My hands encountered a small furry and warm body and memories rushed into my mind.

It was Goku, my tamed monkey and friend and I was aboard the aluminium projectile of the Columbiad.

I remembered the automatic door of the projectile closing on me and my attempts to open it without success. When I decided finally to use my power, I saw that a chronometer was marking some sort of countdown inside the cabin of the 19° century space shuttle.

With horror, I then remembered that I was nearing the time of departure like in the novel of Jules Verne and I rapidly saw that the chronometer was reaching this precise time. I had just the time to lie down and prepare myself and Goku for the shock of departure, praying that the preparations of men dead for more than a century were accurate and enough to protect my life.

I reached for my power and screamed with frustration when I found it absent or more exactly unavailable for now. I sighed in relief when I checked the ring on my left hand. The "Ring of Light" was one of my major artefacts. It could be invoked to do one single feat of magic with unlimited power per day. I used it to stabilize Lincoln Island and made it my personal base of operation.

Well, since I had a trump card, I decided to examine where the hell I was and if I was really en route to the moon.

I localized some matches and lit the main gaslight of the projectile. It was remarkably still ordered after the shock of departure. Only the papers that I was reading before departure were still in disorder.

I calmed Goku, assure myself that it was just bruised and not severely wounded and began anew to explore the area.

I first quickly checked the gauges for the temperature, humidity, levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the cabin. I sighed in relief as they were within normal parameters for an earthling.

Using a wrench I ejected the protecting plates of the portholes to check where I was and was awed as I saw that I was in the vacuum of space. By the bottom porthole, I could see the Earth: I was really travelling through space aboard the projectile of the Columbiad.

I smiled as I saw that I was under an artificial gravity: Slow-burning rockets, working by pair, assured a small but constant acceleration that fixed me on the "floor" of the projectile.

I checked the chronometer and saw that it was built to time precisely the timing of the mission. I used a key to open the armoured cupboard and extract a voluminous book describing step after step what should I do in order to…

I blinked. The exact mission of Ardan and Nemo was to go to the moon and land because of what the French adventurer observed during his orbit around the earth satellite. There seemed to be abnormal emissions of light in one particular sector of the moon and only the close observation of Ardan detected it. Those lights were characteristic of light travelling through a gaseous environment.

I was incredulous: The moon was a dead planetoid. Could it be possible that some traces of life existed on the moon?

I rechecked the book of operations: It was as complete as it could be with 19° century technology. The time required for reaching the moon was 97 hours and 20 minutes exactly. The chronometer was completed by a gyroscope and an accelerometer to precisely time when the 'turnaround' of the projectile was needed and when the firing of the retro-rockets was supposed to take place in order to assure a smooth landing.

Visual targeting was required and various points of reference of the surface of the moon were designed to permit the landing of the projectile exactly where it was needed. The use of the bottom porthole and an angled reticule completed the crude navigation tool.

Even the absence of atmosphere on the moon has been taken into account as two space suits were onboard. They were little more than glorified deep-diving suits. They were uncomfortable, bulky and probably sweaty. Still they had a crude plumbing system, electrical air pumps and heaters, water-based coolers and chemical-based oxygen production and carbon dioxide elimination. Wire mesh embedded in the rubber stopped the suits from stiffening too much in vacuum.

Goku signalled me that it was feeling wrong. I checked the gauges and hissed in dismay as the level of carbon dioxide has reached the danger zone. I quickly looked the mechanism using caustic potash to absorb the dangerous gas and growled as it wasn't working.

I sighed as I recalled that I simply didn't check the entire projectile before the departure since I really didn't think at that moment that I was about to travel to the moon.

I took a few hours to control, activate and repair the entire system that ensured my survival inside the projectile. I also controlled the material onboard: it was quite the collection. I found thermometers, barometers and other weather gauges, field glasses, spyglasses, a complete map of the visible face of the moon by Beer & Moedler, the "Mappa Selenographica", ranged modern weapons, various types of bullets, gunpowder, small labs, picks, mattocks, shovels, saws and other assorted tools, clothes for all type of weather, casket of seeds, a camera, caned food and…

I blinked and smiled as I even found a small collection of games with cards, chess, dominoes, board games and others. Nemo and Ardan certainly didn't want to be bored during their travel.

It was a good thing that there was so much material because a few mechanisms were damaged or were simply not here. For example, I had to replace with gunpowder the entire charge of one of my retro-rockets.

During all this I asked myself why I didn't use my ring to simply teleport back to Earth. I thought it was because of the respect I felt for Nemo, Barbicane, Nicholl and Ardan. They had prepared everything for this expedition and even died for it. It was perhaps ridiculous for a 21° century modern woman, but I simply refused to let it go. I felt it was my duty to finish what those great men have begun.

I nodded to this and despite the fact that I didn't like drinking, I poured a glass of wine and toasted to their memory, pledging myself to push this mission as far as I could.

Then I organized my time with the magnificent and efficient chronometer: A real masterwork. I ate and drank and checked the life-support systems. I also red and re-red the operation book until I could cite it from memory. The first hurdle of the travel approached and I wanted to be ready for anything.

I watched as the chronometer reached a certain time. We were at half the way and the accelerating rockets cut off with a precision worthy of our technological level.

I laughed as the poor Goku felt the effect of weightlessness. I was better prepared because I knew what could happen and it was a good thing.

My jury-rigged reservoir of caustic potash began to leak because of its imperfect lid. I growled in irritation: I had to intervene rapidly if I didn't want to breathe the acidic compound. I used an improvised scoop with a jerry-can and managed to catch the bubbles of the caustic liquid.

After that, I bound myself to the bottom window and activated the small rockets that enabled me to turn around the projectile until I could see the moon instead of the Earth. I reactivated the now-decelerating slow-burning rockets and re-established the artificial gravity.

Consulting the manual, I fired the control rockets at precise intervals and used the visual references of my map to plot my trajectory near the place where Ardan had observed the strange lights on the moon.

It was the most crucial time: after a little more than four days I reached the point of no-return and prepared for landing on the moon. I checked and placed the main retro-rockets in their slots and watched as the chronometer ticked.

When it reached the right moment, according to my calculations and the book of operations, I began the landing procedure. Using the accelerometer and probably a very high dose of luck, I fired the retro-rockets and lay down with Goku, waiting for the shock of landing on the moon.

Now everything was in the hands of God

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Notes: A little boring. I suppose I could have used the mission Apollo 13 as a guideline… Oh well…

Read & review.


	4. Where I found myself ‘IN’ the Moon

**RETURN TO THE MOON**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Iridia Sunheart.

Notes: Not many reviews. Come on! I don't suck, am I?

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**Where I found myself 'IN' the Moon**

Once again, I lost consciousness when the projectile landed or rather crashed on the moon.

I dimly remembered going into a large fracture in the crust of the satellite and pierced through several layers of materials.

I was awoken by a worried Goku to a strange sight. The projectile was on its side and seemed to have rolled a few distance since most of the interior was damaged. I was lucky that no fire has started and that no acidic liquids have spilled on me and Goku.

I gasped when I looked outside the bottom porthole.

Vegetation!

I could see some very small shrubs and moss outside the window!

Quickly, I used the primitive airlock of the bottom porthole to take a sample of the air and to determine what existed outside the projectile.

I smiled to Goku. Temperature was way below zero Celsius, but the atmosphere was breathable.

I ate while I prepared a list of what I would do when I explored outside. I had already prepared some artic gear for me and Goku. Sure it'll be a little heavy, but I could explore the moon.

It was then, that Lady Luna honoured me with a surprising gift. Nemo and Ardan had calculated their time of departure so that they arrived at the exact beginning of the lunar day: that is 28 days of sunlight exactly. Light suddenly burst in existence where the projectile was and the temperature rapidly climbed up.

Awed, I watched as the vegetation, probably adapted to its environment, rapidly came back to life and gained a greenish coloration, sure sign of the presence of chlorophyll.

After checking once again the atmosphere, I took the risk of opening the airlock. I climbed down and make a few steps on the surface and took a deep breath.

I smiled and said a few words, echoing with the words of the comic book character Tintin. "For the first time in this era, a civilian has walked 'IN' the Moon."

I looked around and saw that the projectile has crashed on the floor of a gigantic cavern. A strange layer of a light blue and translucent material seemed to be the way the atmosphere was preserved here. It had also sealing capacity since I could see where my projectile has pierced the layer and the blue material has already sealed the hole.

The solar light came from crystal veins opening around the ceiling of the cavern. The temperature was still low and was the probable reason for the presence of a frozen river near the projectile. I also cringed when I saw the deep abyss where the river disappeared in a fantastic ice sculpture.

The temperature was still rising and I could see the ice melting. I could also see and heard the first insects. They looked like a variety of fly, but they were more elongated than the earth fly variety. Probably due to the feeble gravity here.

I prepared a backpack with enough materials for a recon and took Goku on my shoulder. My friend and companion didn't seem adversely affected by the environment. I then tested myself in the light gravity.

Wouah! I severely underestimated what it meant to have a gravity pull sixth less than the standard Earth gravity. The first jumps nearly send me into the abyss. I didn't want to see where the water went that fast.

I checked the external state of the projectile and sighed as I saw that it wasn't space-worthy anymore. Oh well, it wasn't as if there was another Columbiad ready on the moon and I had still my magical Ring of Light to bail me out in emergency.

I blinked when I saw the reason why the projectile hadn't roll inside the abyss. It was a stone that blocked the path of my lunar vehicle. A sculpted stone. Unfortunately, it was too damaged for any guesses or analyses. However, it was the first and sure sign of a civilisation in the area.

I saw a sort of stone island in the middle of the abyss. I could distinct that the vegetation seemed to be more developed there. In fact, the speed of growth was astonishing when I checked the plants around the projectile. They were red and green types of strange plants with a rather hard shell. They seemed to react to sound and movement and were highly mobile compared to Earth plants.

They were emitting strange and intriguing fragrances and I hoped that my pollen allergy wouldn't manifest…too much.

They were developed enough for me to sample some fruits or seeds. They were a kind of giant green bean.

I walked to the edge of the abyss and advised the… Garden was the best description of the round stone island surrounded by the deep chasm.

I gauged the distance and jumped the chasm without difficulty.

All right. First difficulty. The entire garden was a garden of very dangerous plants. The place of the stone island assured maximal exposure to the light and favoured the growth of the plants.

I counted five varieties and they were all deadly. The yellow variety had balloons that could emit a suffocating gas. The violet type could gas-launched some deadly needles. Blue-type had a maw-like appendage with flesh appetite. Red-type could leash with spear-like projections and finally green-type was a kind of highly mobile strangling vine.

Damnation! The green and red kinds of plant were growing around the projectile. I took my field-glasses and groaned as I saw my base of operations surrounded by the deadly vegetation. I was stranded out for now with the material in my backpack.

I could also perceive some movements different from the plants inside the garden, but the vegetation was too dense to see anything and no one answered my calls.

During my exploration, I also find other stone islands, but they were completely barren, without vegetation. Probably because the only functioning crystal veins were near the garden. I wondered if those stone islands hadn't been other gardens, now dead because of the lack of sufficient light and water for the plants.

I advised the first artificial light on the side of the cliff facing the stone islands. It came from a small alcove sculpted in the rock.

I jumped and used Goku to secure a rope and safely reached the alcove. In here, I also found the first artefacts of the mysterious Selenite civilisation.

They were only two very old but working devices marked with ideograms. One was an actual water processor that gave pure distilled water and the other was a heat source, probably for cooking. My sixth sense helped me to understand the ideograms, but they were only instructions and descriptive of the two machines.

Searching around, I found some strange piece-like objects, made of a gold alloy in the form of a circular crescent like the lunar cycle. I was perplexed, but it looked like some kind of money.

Because of the height of the alcove, I could now see a barren place in the centre of the garden. I calculated that I could reach it with the low gravity.

I jumped and found other ideograms that seemed to mark that this garden was the work or the property of the…Moon People? Perhaps the term Selenite was more appropriated. I also find other pieces of Selenite money.

I found two functioning water stations that irrigated the garden. The metal alloys used were a sort of bronze and a rust-impervious form of iron. I never saw such quality outside some specific alloys and titanium.

I also found an artificial cavity with a closed door and an organ that functioned with a double alimentation in air AND water. It was old but still functional despite that the air and water ducts were inactive.

The door was made of some sort of Super-hard Steel-like metal and my material wasn't sufficient to pierce it and I couldn't find the opening mechanism.

However, there were enough fruits around the zone for me to test the first Selenite prepared food. I gathered enough fruits of the five plants to make a few tries.

After some experiments, I quickly found that I must use two different fruits and only two since they kind of counteracted each other. Cooking them on the Selenite heating device rendered them also more palatable for human consumption. Trust me on this, even Goku couldn't stomach a single fruit raw.

However, they could have strange effects on an earthling organism. Green with violet fruits and violet with red fruits gave a comestible and surprisingly good food. However, blue with red fruits and blue with yellow fruits temporary changed the spectrum of my vision. Also yellow and blue fruits transformed into a drug that accelerated my time perception and make everything moved slower.

After those little experiments, Goku guided me to a gigantic staircase sculpted in the moon rock. What did wait for me at the summit of it?

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Notes: Life on the Moon?! Call NASA!

Read & review, please?


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